BUILD THREAD my 1980 Grand Prix w/BBC 454 build thread

[454GrandPrix]

Yesterday was my day off, so I tore into my new-to-me front brakes. As I mentioned, these Blazer brakes consistently pulled to the left. To begin, I removed the left caliper and checked the pads and slider pins. Everything looked perfectly normal, just as expected since this side seems to be working as designed. I then removed the right caliper to check it out. As I feared, there were signs of a sticking pin: one pad was worn more than the other, and that more-worn pad was also wearing at an angle rather than parallel to its backing plate.

All four slider pins looked fine--no rust, no grooves/pits, no disastrous wear. The rotors also looked great. I ran to AutoZone to get some brake grease and a new set of pads. Back home, I thoroughly cleaned all the pins, greased 'em up, and installed the new pads. Now the car brakes straight once again.

I was so happy, I went for a two hour pleasure drive in the sunny afternoon weather. For perhaps the first time, I feel like this car is finally coming together.

 

[TURNA]

Those rims look better!!

Just lower the rear a bit or put on some bigger rubber!!

 

[454GrandPrix]

Back in 2016--in other words, before the engine swap was completed--I bought a FiTech EFI setup for this car. It needs a high-pressure in-tank fuel pump, but I didn't buy one of those back then. This is why I've been borrowing Mike's carburetor all this time. It has always had little quirks and annoyances, but I've been living with them because I knew they aren't permanent.

After the dismal showing in Tucson, I decided enough was enough--it's time to dump the carburetor. I told myself I'd buy the new tank setup when I got my tax return. I finally transmitted my return last week; as soon as I did so, I immediately went to Summit's web site and put the tank/pump/sending unit in my cart. This week I began watching my checking account, waiting for the direct deposit to hit. It finally posted this morning, allowing me to surf back to Summit and click Checkout.

EFI, here I come!

 

[TURNA]

Back in 2016--in other words, before the engine swap was completed--I bought a FiTech EFI setup for this car. It needs a high-pressure in-tank fuel pump, but I didn't buy one of those back then. This is why I've been borrowing Mike's carburetor all this time. It has always had little quirks and annoyances, but I've been living with them because I knew they aren't permanent.

After the dismal showing in Tucson, I decided enough was enough--it's time to dump the carburetor. I told myself I'd buy the new tank setup when I got my tax return. I finally transmitted my return last week; as soon as I did so, I immediately went to Summit's web site and put the tank/pump/sending unit in my cart. This week I began watching my checking account, waiting for the direct deposit to hit. It finally posted this morning, allowing me to surf back to Summit and click Checkout.

EFI, here I come!

Just buy a GN tank and setup

 

[454GrandPrix]

Just buy a GN tank and setup

I bought the Tanks Inc tank as well as their matching pump assembly (and matching sending unit).

 

[TURNA]

Are there fuel senders generic or tank/car specific?

 

[Injectedcutty]

I bought the Tanks Inc tank as well as their matching pump assembly (and matching sending unit).

They make a nice setup, and it's only a little more than a GN tank, pump, sender setup.

 

[454GrandPrix]

Are there fuel senders generic or tank/car specific?

Kinda both. It installs via a 5-bolt mounting hole, so it is sorta tank-specific... but they offer the sending units in various resistances to match a variety of vehicles, making them a bit generic as well.

 

[454GrandPrix]

Project update: I've finally begun the EFI conversion. I have a FiTech Go EFI 4 system (I bought it before the V8 swap was done, actually) and a few months ago I bought a new Tanks Inc baffled tank plus an in-tank pump. A week and a half ago, I put the car on jack stands and went to work. I had to craft a new fuel supply line from the tank to the engine; my stock supply line was now going to serve as my return line. This means there was lots of work everywhere in and under the car.

A few days ago, I foolishly thought I was ready to fire the engine and I tried to do so, only to have it not fire at all. It turned out that my shiny new in-tank fuel pump... didn't. Any smart person would have verified fuel flow before cranking the engine, so I'm gonna take a mulligan and not count that failed attempt. 😛 As a small consolation, I was at least happy that I had not installed the new tank to the car; I had left it on the ground so I could check for fuel leaks... and thus I only needed to disconnect the hoses and wiring to slide it back out from under the car for a pump swap.

Summit Racing graciously shipped me a replacement fuel pump kit. Last night I finally had time to install it in the tank. After that, I slid the tank back under the car and reconnected the hoses and wiring. This time I decided to check and see if the new pump actually does, so I disconnected the fuel supply line from the FiTech and had my friend Dave hold it in an empty milk jug underhood while I tried to prime the system. On the first attempt, he said he could hear lots of air escaping the line, and then we both heard (and saw) gasoline start flowing freely into the jug. Finally!

I reconnected the fuel line to the throttle body, then primed the system again to check for leaks. Immediately, Dave's wife saw fuel puddling at the rear axle--one of my NPT connections wasn't up to snuff. We separated it, wrapped the threads with gas-spec teflon tape, and screwed it back together to German torque specs. After a couple more primes, nothing was leaking... so it seemed like it was finally time to let 'er rip.

While I was plugging in the handheld controller, Dave wisely decided to begin filming:

First crank, fires instantly. That, my friends, is how you install an EFI system.

 

[454GrandPrix]

UPDATE ON THE EFI INSTALL:

After my last post, I took the car for a short test drive--just enough to get up to operating temperature. Back home, I found out my two other NPT connections in my new fuel supply line were both weeping fuel. I let the car cool, then used teflon tape to stop the leaks. Since then, there have been no more leaks of any kind.

MORE FUN:

With the EFI install complete, you'd think I'd be happy... but, nooooo. Instead, I ordered a shiny new Winters Sidewinder shifter. When it arrived a few days later, I put the car back on jackstands and dug into it once more. This ended up needing much more time than I anticipated. Seriously, I know I put at least 25 hours of work into it. It was ridiculous, but it finally got done yesterday. For the first time since my engine swap, I can now engage every individual gear in my transmission. (With the junkyard shifter I had cobbled together, I could only get P-R-N-D but no lower.) It still needs a small adjustment, but I'll get to that eventually.